Do you know what Calcium ATPase is? Brunde Broady didn’t know what it was until she embarked on a decade long journey to uncover her son’s mysterious health condition. It turns out, this little-known enzyme plays a pivotal role in health and disease. Did you know, if you don’t have enough then you are at risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, Alezheimer’s disease and a myriad of other issues?
You can learn more in this interview.
What inspired you to write your new book, The Calcium Connection?
What inspired me to write this book was my son Knute. Soon after birth Knute was whisked out of my arms by a nurse after his first feeding because the nurse said “he is turning blue”. For many years afterwards, Knute experienced numerous health problems including apnea, neuromuscular weakness, pneumonia, asthma, swallowing problems, skin eruptions, rashes, and mood swings. I was in a perpetual state of alert. Unfortunately, although concerned and in good faith, the medical community couldn’t help. It was harrowing. But through a winding path of desperation, determination, countless hours of research, I figured out that a particular enzyme played a role in Knute’s symptoms. That enzyme is Calcium ATPase. And the more I learned about it, the more I realized my knowledge could help many other people. That is why I decided to write my book and jump into the wellness community.
Can you give us a really simple explanation for what Calcium ATPase is and what it affects within your body?
Calcium ATPase is a vital enzyme that transports calcium within every cell of your body. Healthy levels enable your muscles to contract, your heart to beat, your brain to send impulses, your immune system to respond and many more cell functions.
How can you recognize any imbalances with your Calcium ATPase?
Because Calcium ATPase is found in every cell of our body imbalances can manifest in a wide range of symptoms:
For kids: neuromuscular issues (muscle weakness, pronation, eyelid droop, swallowing problems); over active immune response (i.e bug bites swell to egg size bumps): reactions to food although no “food allergies”; rapid unexplainable mood swings and lethargy; constipation.
For adults the key to remember is that reduced Calcium ATPase makes you more susceptible to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. If you have one of those you likely have a Calcium ATPase in balance. Milder symptoms can include fatigue, muscle weakness, inflammation, difficulty sleeping, and mood changes.
What are some simple things that we can all do to help keep this enzyme in balance?
Reduce exposure to toxins that inhibit Calcium ATPase. These include mercury, lead, aluminum, pesticides, food dyes, food additives, bisphenol, benzopyrenes and more.
Maintain healthy blood sugar levels. High blood sugar disables Calcium ATPase through glycation and oxidation. It is the enemy of Calcium ATPase.
Eat foods that have compounds that support Calcium ATPase such as blueberries, raspberries, red grapes, celery, spinach, peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, green tea, ginger.
Exercise: Moderate aerobics, high intensity training, and strength training all increase Calcium ATPase.
Stress management: stress hormones reduce Calcium ATPase so add stress reduction techniques such as mediation and yoga to keep you levels of stress hormones in check.
What are some of the every day items that can negatively affect Calcium ATPase?
Preservative TBHQ: Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, Snicker bars, Kellog Rice Crispy Treats; Cheez it. Pop Tarts.
Preservative BHT: Frosted Flakes, Rice Crispies, Frosted Mini-Wheats; Fruit Loops; Triscuits; Tyson Chicken Breast, Orbit and Trident gum.
Aluminum baking powder: Ego waffles; Pillsbury Cookie Dough, McDonalds Chicken Nuggets, Bisquick, Duncan Heinz and Betty Crocker cake mixes, Totino’s Pizza rolls, DiGiorno pizza, Pop Tarts, Twinkies, Pillsbury crescent rolls and biscuits.
Mercury in fish such as tuna sushi and swordfish.
Sneaky food dyes such as in Dole Fruit bowls and Libby fruit cocktail.
Sunscreen with titanium dioxide nanoparticles
Adult and teen costume jewelry and buttons: often contain cadmium.
Charred grilled foods contain benzopyrenes.
Vintage toys: Toys made before 2002 such as Thomas the Toy Engine and many Fisher Price toys contain lead.
What steps can we take in our homes to reduce our exposure to bad toxins?
Filter your water: osmosis filters out the most toxins but a high quality charcoal filter is a start.
Minimize dust by vacuuming with HEPA filter vacuum and installing high efficiency air filter in your cooling/heating system.
Avoid pesticide use indoors and buy pets natural tick repellants.
Try out natural household cleaning products until you find one that works for you. Avoid using products that contain bleach.
Replace plastic storage containers with ones made of glass. Also replace plastic water bottles with stainless steel.
Avoid using aluminum foil when cooking acidic foods i.e. lemons and tomatoes.
How can we spark a positive change in our government and communities to reduce harmful toxin exposure?
Advocate with other parents to ensure school safety by checking for lead in the classroom, water fountains, and playground equipment.
Join the Environmental Working Group Network (EWG) or other groups such as Pesticide Network for actions steps you can take at home and in your community.
Spread the word: start changes one at a time so gently begin to share what you know about toxins with friends and family. No judgement just information because you care.
No comments:
Post a Comment